Empress Ki Recap

This drama has turned out to be a welcome surprise. I’m not sure what I expected – violence, political maneuvering, and boring scenes with old men talking. I laughed through most of both episodes this week, I certainly wasn’t expecting this much humor. I’m already extremely attached to all 3 lead characters which probably won’t be good when it’s time to pick a ship. Wang Yoo has figured out evil Wang Go’s plan. He’s hoping the Yuan Prince is killed in Goryeo which would result in war – with the blame being placed squarely on Wang Yoo. Goryeo would be destroyed, Wang Yoo tossed out on his ear and Wang Go would become King. Wang Yoo rides out to meet Ta Hwan to offer protection, which would keep Goryeo protected as well.

Empress Ki/Hwatu/기황후 started last week after MBC’s previous sageuk drama (and sadly snooze-fest) “Goddess of Fire Jung Yi”. I consider this a one-off recap for now since Empress Ki will be 50 episodes long and I don’t know if I can hold out that long… Sageuks in general tend to lose me after the first 16 episodes. However the three main actors are strong leads (love Ha Ji Won) so perhaps this will fare better than “Goddess of Fire”… Which didn’t even have a great ending. Oh well, at least Kim Bum got the girl in real life.

This drama has turned out to be a welcome surprise. I’m not sure what I expected – violence, political maneuvering, and boring scenes with old men talking. I laughed through most of both episodes this week, I certainly wasn’t expecting this much humor. I’m already extremely attached to all 3 lead characters which probably won’t be good when it’s time to pick a ship. Wang Yoo has figured out evil Wang Go’s plan. He’s hoping the Yuan Prince is killed in Goryeo which would result in war – with the blame being placed squarely on Wang Yoo. Goryeo would be destroyed, Wang Yoo tossed out on his ear and Wang Go would become King. Wang Yoo rides out to meet Ta Hwan to offer protection, which would keep Goryeo protected as well.

As I suspected, the light humorous stuff is over and we’re heading into darker territory. I thoroughly enjoyed the time Ki spent with our petulant, whiny Ta Hwan but I guess it was time to move the story forward. (LOL) Speaking of, this drama moves very quickly – there is no time wasted with meaningless fluff. I hope we’re able to keep that up for 50 episodes? Pray with me. Ki wakes up in the forest to discover Ta Hwan is gone. She frantically runs around looking only to discover he’s been caught in a trap and is hanging by one ankle upside-down. LMAO! He begs her to cut him down, promising that he won’t run off again. These two fight all the time – it’s hilarious. She ties him to her so he can’t run while he continues to protest that if they return to Goryeo, they’ll both die. She think the Goryeo King Wang Yoo will be able to protect them. Ummm…

I’m continually amazed at the story progression and the pace of this drama – things move quickly. That suits me just fine – I hate repetition, flashbacks upon flashbacks, long silent staring and no character development. Having said that, I don’t expect much just yet – it’s still very early. In episode 7, our creepy brother Ki-Se “smells” that Ki is a woman and rips open her shirtt. He orders her dressed and brought to his tent, while Byung-Soo stares at Ki like he can’t believe it. Two of the Goryeo slaves are brought in to dress her up and apply make-up. She’s brought to Ki-Se’s quarters and he’s momentarily speechless at her beauty. She’s forced to her knees, her hands tied.

Ah, the holidays – it’s when family descends on your home and interrupts your drama viewing. (LOL) Not that I don’t love my family and turkey but how to explain how important it is to watch this weeks episodes of Empress Ki? I described the plot and our baby Emperor finally seeing Ki so they would allow me some time alone with my computer. At least until the pie is ready. Must have pie. *hee*

Tana Shiri dragged Ki into her plot but I fully believe our Ki is one smart woman. The problem is Ki-Se – he’s not about to let go of Ki easily and he knows much more about her than anyone. I don’t necessarily think Ki-Se is smarter than Ki but he’s much more willing to cross into evil territory to get what he wants, even if it means people die. He doesn’t care, he just wants to win. Tana Shiri gives Ki the brown powder, Ki immediately asks if it’s poison? No, it’s something that will only harm the baby. She tells Ki if she does this, she will prepare the papers for Ki to live outside the Palace but any mistakes, Ki will die. Ki says to herself that Tana Shiri is just as evil as Ki-Se is. She doesn’t see room leader Yeon-hwa watching her. Yeon-hwa is convinced Ki is trying to get promoted.

So how much fun are Ha Ji Won and Ji Chang Wook having filming “Empress Ki”? The BTS videos and photos I’ve seen show the entire cast is having a great time. I hope that continues – they have a long ways to go and it’s getting much colder outside. These clips might also explain why so many appear to be on the Ki/Emperor ship, they’re adorable together. I’m still waiting for our Goryeo King to make his appearance a bit closer to Ki. Like, in the same city please? (LOL)

Tana Shiri dragged Ki into her plot but I fully believe our Ki is one smart woman. The problem is Ki-Se – he’s not about to let go of Ki easily and he knows much more about her than anyone. I don’t necessarily think Ki-Se is smarter than Ki but he’s much more willing to cross into evil territory to get what he wants, even if it means people die. He doesn’t care, he just wants to win. Tana Shiri gives Ki the brown powder, Ki immediately asks if it’s poison? No, it’s something that will only harm the baby. She tells Ki if she does this, she will prepare the papers for Ki to live outside the Palace but any mistakes, Ki will die. Ki says to herself that Tana Shiri is just as evil as Ki-Se is. She doesn’t see room leader Yeon-hwa watching her. Yeon-hwa is convinced Ki is trying to get promoted.

He’s back, he’s back! Our smexy Goryeo King is back! *squeals of excitement* Ta Hwan yells at Ki to go ahead and laugh at him, laugh at him for being such a fool. Ki tells him she won’t do anything for him. Gol-ta arrives to inform Ta Hwan that they are re-checking Lady Park’s pulse – at the interrogation grounds. Palace maids, including our nasty Yeon-hwa help Lady Park get ready when Tana Shiri’s evil maid arrives and has her dragged out.

He’s back, he’s back! Our smexy Goryeo King is back! *squeals of excitement* Ta Hwan yells at Ki to go ahead and laugh at him, laugh at him for being such a fool. Ki tells him she won’t do anything for him. Gol-ta arrives to inform Ta Hwan that they are re-checking Lady Park’s pulse – at the interrogation grounds. Palace maids, including our nasty Yeon-hwa help Lady Park get ready when Tana Shiri’s evil maid arrives and has her dragged out.

Dowager Empress meets up with Tana Shiri and Ki-Se, they exchange more I love that neither of these women show fear! Tana Shiri believes once it’s proven that Lady Park isn’t pregnant, she can banish Dowager Empress to a temple. Ahahaha, that is SO not going to happen. Lady Park sits on a straw mat while the evil ones smirk and smile. Ta Hwan arrives, asking why this is being done here? El Temur tells him if she faked being pregnant, she must have had help. He threatens that they will skin her in needed to find out who helped her. He yells for the Royal Doctor to check her pulse while Tana Shiri smiles to herself. The Royal Doctor is unsure at first which angers El Temur. He orders two more Doctors to examine her pulse but it’s clear – she is pregnant.

Next in the KBS rom-com lineup is Prime Minister and I, whose light and breezy tone took me by surprise. I knew to prepare myself for the cute, but I didn’t expect it to also stir the heartstrings in the first hour. There’s promise and potential in a story that moves fairly quickly that contains both heartwarming and funny notes. And damn, a prime minister has never looked this good.

When I started this weeks recap, I realized I’d much rather just talk about what’s going on that do a scene-by-scene recap. I hope you don’t mind this sudden departure from my regular pattern! We’ll see how it goes, I might just do it this way from now on.

This week, we see Wang Yoo stepping up his plans to gain back his throne by defeating El Terror. It’s interesting that almost everyone wants to get rid of El Terror but Wang Yoo is the only person so far to take any actual steps towards this goal. I know Baek-Ahn and Tal Tal murdered one of El Terror’s men but it was my thinking that had to do with keeping El Terror from finding the Blood Vow before they do. Even if they find it, I’m not sure at this point what they would do with it. Who do their loyalties untimely belong to? We’ve seen Dowager Empress discuss getting rid of El Terror with Ta Hwan and we’ve seen Tal Tal discuss it with Baek-Ahn but both these groups take a passive, wait & see attitude instead of actively doing anything. Is this a fear of putting their own lives (plus the lives of many others) in danger? I can’t answer that yet, still guessing.

Things moved along nicely, I’m happy with the pace since we have a long ways to go. We have a curse to deal with and we got to see a jealous Goryeo King! I’m thisclose to boarding the WY/SN ship but who knows where I’ll be next week. (LOL) My mind changes on an hourly basis. We open on Wang Yoo flashing back on the intimate scene on the bridge. He breaks the cup he’s holding in frustration (anger? sadness? all of these?) cutting his hand. Ta Hwan watches Ki and teases that she only allowed him her back – why not a hug? (LOL) He suddenly pulls her close and covers her ears, telling her he wants to challenge El Terror but that she witnessed him weak makes him want to die. Can she hear him? If so, she pretends that she can’t.

I was going insane for new episodes of Empress Ki (and waiting for subs) to the point that I started to forget what this drama was about. (LOL) The award shows were nice, it was fun seeing our cast sitting together, laughing and talking. And it was really nice to see them win! But I wanted to get back to the show, I was up very early to catch both episodes live. Let’s talk about what happened!

I’ve been involved with this drama since the beginning and have met some truly wonderful people at the Soompi thread but I have to say, Rinchan’s posts are mature, patient and though-provoking. I (and many others) look forward to reading her posts so I asked her to co-recap Empress Ki. The Couch Kimchi ladies and I are hoping she’ll enjoy this experience so much that she’ll want to stick around and write about other dramas. *hehehe* So please welcome our first guest-writer – Rinchan!Rinchan: Thanks again for the invitation, as well as the warm welcome. Empress Ki is the first drama that I have ever decided to post my thoughts on in Soompi and the people there, including Tess, have made it a fun, interesting place to not only share your thoughts, but read the thoughts of others. Once again thanks for having me, I look forward to enjoying the coming episodes with you.

Worried you might have missed out any important news in the week of Korean entertainment? Get comfortable and ready to scroll as we go through the best news and articles of this week in music, drama, variety and fashion.

This is your Weekly High Five (Beta Version)!

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1. Kara’s Nicole Quietly Goes to the U.S.A. to Prepare for Solo Comeback

This week was equal parts heartbreak, frustration and excitement. Heartbreaking watching Ki suffer and frustrating watching the bad guys continue to win. But there is excitement that we’re moving into the revenge stage. Both ships have suffered blows however, there are signs a new ship is forming? LOL!Tessieroo: Ki has her baby, alone in a cave. (depressing much?) It’s a boy and she names him “Byul” which means Star. In Yuan, Wang Yoo is thrown from his horse.

This week’s episodes were so awesome, it has placed me on a high that has circumvented my sorrow from the past episodes. Each week Empress Ki has pumped out episodes that are often fresh, exciting, and full of something to talk about, so in light of this, Tessie and I have decided to switch the format of our recap. Instead of a scene by scene recap, we will discuss what happened and put in our insights.

Seung-nyang was ordered to drink the tonic but Empress Dowager dropped by, ordering her not to do so since the tonic contained infertility medicine. Tanashiri said that she did it for the sake of the Imperial family (yeah, RIGHT) and Seung-nyang suddenly took the bowl. Instead of drinking it, she poured it onto the floor. Muahahahaha…what a rebel! Seung-nyang told Tanashiri that if she took it, then she won’t be able to conceive in the future. The Dowager was satisfied with the outcome.